The Electric Circuit, in partnership with Québec’s municipalities, will be rolling out 4,500 standard charging stations (240 V, 7 kW) by 2028, to meet the needs of electric vehicle drivers who do not have access to home charging.

To support this initiative, a grant program is being offered exclusively to municipalities, through which Hydro-Québec is providing financial assistance of up to $12,000 per standard charging station. Every curbside charging point has two 240 V stations.

Charging stations must meet one of the following charging needs:

• Overnight charging in neighborhoods where electric vehicle owners do not have access to private outdoor outlets; or

• Daytime charging downtown and near shops.

In addition, the municipality must allow access to the curbside station 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and offer free parking in front of the curbside station from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Municipalities must submit their grant application and all required documents by 31 August 2021, at 11:59 p.m.

For the first two years, the program is exclusively for curbside charging stations, made up of two standard stations, installed where electric vehicles parked on the street can use them.

The Electric Circuit is the largest public charging network in Québec. It consists of more than 3,100 public charging stations, including 466 fast-charge stations, in every region of the province. Electric Circuit users have access to a 24/7 telephone help line as well as a charging-station locator service.

In Québec, the price at level 2 charging stations is either at a flat fee of $2.50, regardless of the length of charge or at an hourly rate of $1 billed by the second and based on the amount of time the vehicle is plugged in.